Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Shi Xie's request was within Gu Rubing's expectations, but even so, Gu Rubing still pretended to be very surprised.

"Ceasefire? Governor of Youzhou, did I hear you right? You mean a ceasefire?"

Shi Xie nodded somewhat helplessly.

"Governor of Youzhou, please stop joking. In our current state, how can we possibly stop the war? It's been over two months since the war started, and how many men have I lost? At least 50,000, right? And then there are the supplies, the warhorses—the losses are incalculable. You want to stop the war? How do you plan to compensate me?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xie immediately understood the meaning behind Gu Rubing's words.

A ceasefire is possible, but Gu Rubing will definitely make exorbitant demands.

Shi Xie was also prepared for this.

"Then what exactly does Prince Lie intend to do?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing calmly took out a list.

Seeing this, Shi Xie felt like cursing.

You've even prepared a list, and you were just pretending to be so surprised. Who are you trying to fool?

Despite his dissatisfaction, Shih-hsieh understood that this was simply a normal negotiation tactic.

Gu Rubing was trying to catch him off guard.

"My demands are simple. I want the entire Youzhou. I can spare your life, and you can go wherever you want. In addition, I also want Wang Yue and Shi A. You leave those two behind, and I don't need the rest."

When Shi Xie heard Gu Rubing's request, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Shi Xie had indeed made some preparations for Gu Rubing's outrageous demands, but no one expected that the lion's mouth would be so wide, attempting to swallow Youzhou whole in one gulp.

Shi Xie coughed a few times before he managed to suppress his anger.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he looked at Gu Rubing.

"King Lie, don't you think you're asking for too much? What you're asking for has completely drained my coffers. This isn't negotiation; you're taking my life!"

"Huh? Really? No, I told you, I'll let you live."

"I……"

Shi Xie was about to scold him, but considering his current situation, he held back.

“I’m sorry, King Lie, I can’t give you what you want. After all, you’re asking for far too much. I can give you five counties: Dai, Shanggu, Guangyang, Yuyang, and Zhuo. That’s equivalent to half of Youzhou’s territory. I don’t want the people there either. I just need you to return everyone in Juyang City to me. I will also withdraw the people from Ji County.”

Logically speaking, Shi Xie's decision to grant half of Youzhou right off the bat was quite good, at least demonstrating his sincerity.

But Gu Rubing didn't want such a good opportunity to go to waste.

“No, you have too many people to save. This half of Youzhou is not worth that much. And don’t forget, of the five counties you gave me, three are already in my hands. You’re using my territory to do business with me. The Youzhou shepherd is really good at scheming.”

Seeing Gu Rubing refuse, Shi Xie was also in a dilemma. This was all he could give, and he couldn't give anything more.

Just as Shi Xie was hesitating.

A soldier ran over.

"My lord, there is breaking news."

"Shut up, you bastard! Is this a place you can come to at this time?"

Wang Yue immediately reprimanded his soldiers.

After all, this is a negotiation between kings. What's the point of a soldier running in like this?

Gu Rubing was also somewhat dissatisfied with this.

"Governor of Youzhou, you've really become a bit lax in managing your subordinates. Is this an occasion where even a mere soldier is allowed to disturb us?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue immediately turned to look at the soldier.

The soldiers knew that it was not a good time for them to come, but the news had excited the entire army, so they came to Wang Yue's side in their excitement.

"Alright, just tell me, what news do you have?"

"My lord, the reinforcements and provisions have arrived."

"Is everyone here?"

Upon hearing this news, Liu Zhang became instantly excited.

He's been waiting for this reinforcement for a long time.

"Yes, my lord, they have all arrived: 50,000 reinforcements and a large amount of grain."

Shi Xie spoke very loudly, deliberately speaking so that Gu Rubing could hear.

Upon hearing that Shi Xie's reinforcements had arrived, Gu Rubing immediately frowned.

Now that Shi Xie has reinforcements, he is now evenly matched with him, making it unlikely that he can take over the entire Youzhou.

Shi Xie then came to Gu Rubing again.

"Your Highness, I'm so sorry, I had some matters to attend to earlier, but I've finished them now. I've given you all I could, and there's nothing more I can do for you. What do you think, Your Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing could sense that Shi Xie was clearly different from the Shi Xie of the past. Even his tone of voice had changed, becoming much more confident.

Gu Rubing secretly began to make plans in his mind.

Now, Dai County, Shanggu County, and Guangyang County are all under his control.

Of the five commanderies Shi Xie assigned himself, there were actually only two: Zhuo Commandery and Yuyang Commandery.

However, Shanggu County, Dai County, and Guangyang County were still under his control. Although Zhuo County was under Shi Xie's control, it was practically the same as being under his control. After all, Zhuo County had blocked the roads connecting it to the outside world. The entire county of Zhuo was trapped by him.

In the end, all Shi Xie gave up was one prefecture, namely Yuyang Prefecture.

Shi Xie's governor's office was also located in Yuyang County.

"No, of your five prefectures, only Yuyang Prefecture is truly in your hands. That's too cheap."

"Since the King of Lie does not agree, there is nothing I can do. Please consider it first. I have other matters to attend to, so I will not waste my time here."

After saying that, Shi Xie turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Gu Rubing immediately shouted, "Governor of Youzhou, I advise you not to give up this opportunity so easily. I can cooperate with Meng Huo now. When Liu Xie is gone, do you think the others will still sincerely help you?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xie stopped in his tracks.

Now he does have the ability to deal with Gu Rubing, but Gu Rubing is right. As long as Liu Xie dies, Gu Rubing will definitely be the next to declare himself emperor. But if that happens, he will have no backing. Even if Gu Rubing swallows him up, Cao Cao and the others will not react.

The arrival of these reinforcements made him so excited that he lost his ability to make judgments. Now, in addition to lacking soldiers and generals, he also faced the prospect of not having the emperor's support.

Now that reinforcements have arrived and he has troops at his disposal, the deal between Meng Huo and Gu Rubing is still in effect. If Gu Rubing agrees, Meng Huo will act at any moment. After figuring this out, Shi Xie sighed and approached Gu Rubing once more.

"King Lie, I really disagree with what you said. Youzhou is only so big. If you give it all to us, where are the rest of us supposed to go? We can't just go into the mountains, can we?"

Although Shi Xie was speaking to him politely, even pleading with him, his expression already told Gu Rubing that he really didn't care much at the moment.

Both sides now have certain bargaining chips and have accumulated some capital.

"Since that's the case, then let's just leave it at that and end this negotiation here. However, I would like to advise the Governor of Youzhou that some things cannot be solved by simply sending reinforcements."

"Then there's no need for King Lie to worry about it. We'll meet on the battlefield."

Upon hearing Shi Xie's words, Gu Rubing turned and left.

Watching Gu Rubing's retreating figure, Shi Xie wanted to stop him, since the man hadn't been replaced yet. However, he knew that if he stopped Gu Rubing now, they would be at a disadvantage in this negotiation.

"My lord, we can't just let this go. Xun You and the Gu clan members haven't been replaced yet."

Hearing Wang Yue's words, Shi Xie hesitated for a moment, then immediately called out.

"Prince Lie, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing stopped in his tracks, a sly smile playing on his lips.

Gu Rubing quickly stopped smiling and turned to look at Shi Xie with an icy expression.

"What is it, Governor of Youzhou? Is there something else?"

Shi Xie hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Prince Lie, it's still those five prefectures. I don't want anything else. I only have one request: at least release my people. What do you think? Trading five prefectures for a few people seems like a good deal, doesn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing almost burst out laughing.

Now, his bargaining chips in negotiating with Liu Zhang are Meng Huo and his men. If he releases them, what bargaining chips will he have left?

"The Governor of Youzhou is joking. Let's meet on the battlefield."

After saying that, Gu Rubing turned and left without lingering.

Gu Rubing's attitude ignited Shi Xie's anger.

"My lord, what should we do now?"

Wang Yue hadn't expected Liu Bei to be so unreasonable, offering five counties in exchange for a few people. This wasn't a negotiation; it was robbery.

Therefore, Wang Yue simply gave up on negotiating with Gu Rubing.

"What else can we do? We need to find a way to open the road to Juyang City and bring the people out. No matter what, we must rescue them before Meng Huo makes contact with Liu Bei, otherwise His Majesty will be in danger."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue was immediately at a loss.

It's easy to say, but actually doing it is quite troublesome.

How many cities do they need to pass through? These cities are now all under Gu Rubing's control. Do they really think they can conquer them one by one?

The 50,000 reinforcements are only enough for them to defend Zhengzang; they are far from sufficient for their offensive.

Looking at Wang Yue's expression, Shi Xie realized that he had been careless and had overestimated the 50,000 reinforcements.

"Never mind, let's see when we get back."

Shi Xie returned to the city and immediately opened the map.

After checking their location, Shi Xie already had some ideas in mind.

"General Wang, are there any capable generals in the city right now?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue nodded, because the first person he thought of was his deputy. While not necessarily the smartest, his cooperation with him was at least perfect.

"Yes, my lieutenant. What do you intend to do, my lord?"

“Looking at the map, we need to pass through four counties to get close to Juyang City. The risks and costs involved are beyond our capacity to bear. So I have a suggestion: we should form a suicide squad and have them bypass these cities without alerting Liu Bei inside. Once we pick up the person, we can retreat. As for Juyang City, we can leave it to him. What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue looked at the map.

Judging from the map, Shi Xie's method is indeed feasible, but it carries certain risks. If this group is discovered before reaching Juyang City and is surrounded and attacked, they will certainly not survive if they venture deep into the territory.

Thinking about this, Wang Yue felt that their battle had been quite frustrating.

Even so, these people definitely need to be saved.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, Shi Xie's method is indeed the best and most reasonable.

They weren't going to attack the city; there was really no need to take it back city by city.

Having made up his mind, Wang Yue immediately summoned his deputy.

The deputy general hadn't expected that he could be summoned at this time for any other reason than to be busy with some miscellaneous tasks related to the reinforcements.

"My lord, general, did you call me?"

The two nodded.

"Zhang Long, you've been with me for a long time now, and you're quite a veteran of many battles. There's a very dangerous mission that I need you to lead a team to carry out. The level of danger is extremely high; if things go wrong, the entire team could be wiped out, and you'll most likely die as well. So, do you still want to take it?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Zhang Long hesitated for a moment, then immediately nodded.

"General, I've accepted this mission, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do?"

"It's very simple. We just need to bypass all of Liu Bei's cities, reach Juyang City, and bring everyone out. As for Juyang City, let it go if we lose it."

Upon hearing Shi Xie's words, Zhang Long immediately understood what Shi Xie meant, and then looked at the map beside him.

If we don't attack the city, and instead take the back roads, this mission is still possible to complete. Moreover, the chances of being discovered are not high if we take the back roads.

"Sure, but how many men are you planning to give me, my lord?"

"Five thousand men, that's the most I can give you, and they're all cavalry. That's the most troops I can give you. The others aren't cavalry, so even if I gave them to you, they wouldn't be of much use."

Shi Xie was absolutely right.

Such operations require fast-moving cavalry. Ordinary infantry would be of little use and might even be discovered by the enemy due to their slow speed, in which case none of them would survive.

"Alright, my lord, I will give it my best. I will set off now."

"Go, and when you arrive, follow all of Xun You's instructions without any resistance."

"Yes!"

After saying that, Zhang Long turned around and walked outside.

After watching Zhang Long leave, Wang Yue hesitated for a moment, glanced at the map, and immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shi Xie. (End of Chapter)